Epic Battle…

Sometimes the epic battle doesn’t look like the movie 300, sometimes it’s fought inside your own head… Choosing to workout after a long day at work… Choosing a salad over a cheeseburger… Choosing to check-out at the grocery store without buying a “treat”…

Deciding to live a healthier lifestyle isn’t always easy. It would be easy to go through the drive-thru on my way home from work and then sit on the couch and watch t.v. for the rest of the night. I know, I used to do that. It required NO effort. Even after 2 years of changing habits, working hard, setting goals, etc. it would still be easier to do nothing… and the epic battle rages on.

I was talking about this last night, and I saw an article today about how 50% of the weight loss battle is mental. AGREED!

The other headlines on the page were “Obesity Epidemic Shows No Signs of Retreating” and “Paula Deen Says Diabetes Diagnosis Won’t Change The Way She Cooks”.

Thank you for you honesty, Em. It really is a battle and not one I have committed to yet. I did buy a treat today. And yesterday. And the day before. But while I usually feel great about my treats, I didn’t feel great about it today. It was delicious, but tasted like “too much; I don’t need it.” Do I scale it back to say half a treat; or eliminate (it was a package of 2 chocolate covered graham crackers from Starbuck’s when I got tea).

Tonight I was restless and thought I needed to go out and get some food (but not at the grocery store). I calmed down and just worked with what I had, which was breakfast: cheerios and blueberries and an egg and a couple of cutie oranges. I had chopped salad w/chicken breast for lunch and an ok breakfast. If I could minus the treats not a bad day.

I try to keep healthy treats in the house and at work… I love Edy’s strawberry fruit bars and they are less than 100 calories and have real fruit in them… I also like Fiber One’s 90 calorie chocolate peanut butter bar…

When I am really craving something, I try to use the “20-minute-method”… Have a glass of water, wait 20 minutes and see where I am at… Sometimes the craving is still there, but most of the time it has passed… I am not suggesting that I should never have pizza or a cheeseburger again… I just don’t want to have them because I was “starving” and made a bad choice…

I think that setting yourself up for success by keeping healthy foods in the house and/or at work is important… We are much more susceptible to making bad choices when we are being driven by hunger… Grocery shopping on a regular basis is a good place to start 🙂